Nut-lock.



LII

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEONARD V. RATHMELL, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

NUT-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 722,751, dated March17, 1903.

Application filed October 4, 1902- To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LEONARD V. RATHMELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at C0- lumbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio,have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Nut-Locks, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the improvement of nut-locks; and the objects ofmy invention are to provide a nut-lock of improved construction whichwill obviate the tendency of a nut working 01? a bolt through jar orvibration of the parts with which the bolt is connected and to producecertain improvements in details of construction, which will be morefully pointed out hereinafter. These objects I accomplish in the mannerillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is atransverse section of a railway-track rail, taken on line a: a; of Fig.2. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a portion of a track-rail, showing myimproved nut-lock in use thereon. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional viewof my improved nut-lock on line y y of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a view inperspective of said nut-lock.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In carrying out my invention I provide an internally-threaded nut formedin two equalsized sections, which are indicated at 1 and 2, thesesections when joined forming a complete nut. 3 represents a yoke ofsuitable spring metal, this yoke having its upper end portionconnected,respectively,with the outer sides of the nut-sections 1 and 2.The tension of the arms of the spring-yoke 3 is such as to normallyretain the severed portions of the sectional nut in contact with eachother, resulting in the formation of a complete nutbody. In producingthe internal threads of the nut-sections 1 and2 the threads of onesection are so arranged or formed as to permit the thread depressions toregister with the thread elevations of the other section when the endsof both sections are on the same level, this construction beingillustrated more clearly in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

In Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings I have illustrated my improved nut-lockas used in connection with a bolt and nut of a railwaytrack rail, and inthese views 5 represents a Serial No. 126,875. (No model.)

track-rail; 6, the fish-plates; '7, the bolt which passes through theweb of said rail and fishplates, and 8 the usual bolt-nu t. These partshaving been assembled in the usual manner, the nut formed by theconnected sections 1 and 2 is screwed onto the outer end portion of thebolt, with the result that as the threads of said bolt enter the nutthey first engage and are forced to travel from the threads of onenut-section to the other, the threads of said sections thus being forcedinto proper register, but forcing the sections out of alinement. In thuseffecting or "forcing an engagement of the threads of the bolt with thethreads of said nut-sections it is obvious that a slight movement of theparallel arms of the yoke in the direction of the length of the boltwill be produced, thus placing said arms under sufficient tension toproduce such frictional resistance between the threads of the bolt andthe threads of the nut as to insure From this construction and operationit will readily be understood that the outer sectional nut will serve toprevent an outward movement of the usual inner nut 8, thus insuring theretention of the latter on the bolt and against the fish-plate or otherbody in connection with which the bolt is used.

In case of difficulty in removing the outer locking-nut it is obviousthat the arms of the yoke may by a suitable instrument be forcedoutward, thus releasing the clamping action of the nut-sections on thebolt and permitting of said sectional nut being readily removed.

. Having now fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

In a nut-lock, the combination with the nut formed in two sections, eachof said sections having its inner surface threaded, of a metallic yoke 3having its ends secured to the outer sides of said nut-sections andnormally retaining said sections in contact one with the other, thethreads of one of said sections being normally out of register with theother, substantially as specified.

LEONARD V. RATHMELL.

In presence of O. O. SHEPHERD, A. L. PHELPS.

